Thanks to my sister calling me at 8:30 this a.m., I probably wouldn’t have gotten out of bed until 9:30 or 10. That is unusual for me as the cats get hungry at 7:30 and will walk up the bed to nudge my hand and meow in my face. When they want their breakfast, they want it now.

I am a slave to my animals when it comes to their care. Animals have been my kids. God knew what he was doing when he made me so I couldn’t have children. He put me in charge of caring for animals. I do a good job too. Mine are spoiled.

The sun was out for a time, and now would you believe, it is spitting snowing while the ice is dripping off the roof of the back porch. Drip, drip, there goes some snow flakes. Crazy. I need to go to the store, but I don’t want to drive on icy streets. I have enough food in the house to last for a few days until the ice melts. Then, I have to get out of this house for a time. You know, cabin fever. I’ve been in the house working like mad since last Thursday.

You should see the mountains, which I can see from my front window now that the trees are bare. White and beautiful. The snow will soon melt later this week.

The wind chime hanging from the porch roof hasn’t stopped singing for nearly five days. Don’t get me wrong, I love wind chimes, but we could do with less wind. It is gusting up to 45 miles an hour, and I have no idea when it will stop.

I am happy to report my characters in The Stone Killer are talking to me again. They have been silent for a time. Maybe I offended them by working on the other books we published. If I sound nuts treating them as real people, that’s okay. If your characters are not real to you, how can you write about them Detective John T. Huntington is very real to me. I know him. The tragedy he suffered, when he was eighteen, affected his entire life. And he is still haunted by the murder of his high school girlfriend, Kelly. But his vindication is coming in book three of the series.

Eppie (short for Esperanza) Ortiz, JT’s partner, has her own tragedy to deal with. Her mother is dying of cancer. But there is a secret in her family that has been hidden on Rampart Range for ten years which will soon come to light. Eppie’s story will be revealed in book two of the series, unless Marilyn Heddrix, a murder victim in The Stone Killer, will stop screaming at me to tell her story of redemption first. We shall see who wins out.

Well, the sun is still fighting for the spotlight. I hope it wins. Every one have a fantastic day and stay safe, as bad weather is headed east. So if you are traveling, be careful. You are a valuable person whoever you are. Nothing is worth your life. Your spot in the universe can’t be filled by anyone or anything else. Your loss would only leave a vacant hole. We have enough of that now.